Americans are beginning to rediscover the South Pacific—more and more of them are hurrying to Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji and New Caledonia. Many see little more than the native marketplace, the professional dance spectacles and the hotel bar, But the wise and the adventurous traveler may discover such beyond-the-beyond islands as Bora-Bora and follow such guides as Erwin Christian into the glorious ocean

A roundup of the sports information of the week

BASKETBALL—NBA: After its nine-game winning streak was halted by the Knicks, 129-115, PHILADELPHIA (32-10) won twice and boosted its lead in the East to 3½ games. Second-place BOSTON (27-12) scored only 84 points in a loss to the Bulls, its fourth setback in a row, then won two of its next three games. Eddie Miles and Dave Bing teamed up to give DETROIT (23-20) two victories. Thirty-one points by Bing and a tie-breaking foul shot by Miles in the last nine seconds led to a 114-113 win over the Bullets. Both players had 34 points in a 142-141 overtime victory over the Royals, with Bing winning it on a three-point play in the final 11 seconds. NEW YORK (18-25) stopped the Pistons 118-101 as Walt Bellamy tossed in 32 points. The Knicks, who earlier lost their sixth straight, won their last three games and climbed out of the cellar. Oscar Robertson of CINCINNATI (17-22) was the week's top point-getter, scoring 116 in three games, only one of which the Royals won. BALTIMORE (15-23) lost three of four and fell to last place. ST. LOUIS (29-13) held a mere half-game lead in the West over SAN FRANCISCO (30-15). The Hawks split four games, but one win came against the Warriors, their sixth in seven meetings. There continued to be no place like home for the Warriors, 3-1 for the week, who have "home" courts in both San Francisco and Oakland, where their combined record is 19-4. LOS ANGELES (22-21) won its opener, then dropped four in a row. CHICAGO (16-28), with Bob Boozer and Keith Erickson each scoring in the 20s four times, won four of five. A win against the Hawks, sandwiched between two losses, enabled SAN DIEGO (12-31) to stay ahead of last-place SEATTLE (12-33), loser of three of four games.

ABA: MINNESOTA (25-11) won once, lost once and had its edge in the East shaved to half a game by PITTSBURGH (26-13). The Pipers blew an 18-point lead over the Colonels but fought back to win their third game of the week and 15th straight. The Chaparrals, however, ended the streak, 103-97. INDIANA (22-20) lost four of five, NEW JERSEY (16-24) three of four, and KENTUCKY (12-26) was a four-time loser. Western leader NEW ORLEANS (26-13) lost two of three, and DENVER (22-18) moved to within 4½ games of the top by winning two of three, including a 112-107 victory over the Buccaneers. DALLAS (18-15) won four straight. OAKLAND (15-22) was 2-0 and, with Mel Peterson and Levern Tart getting 34 and 33 points apiece, stopped the Buccaneers 128-123. ANAHEIM (15-25), with Steve Chubin totaling 88 points, won two of three, and HOUSTON (14-24) split four games.

FOOTBALL—PRO: Bruce Gossett kicked three field goals and Quarterback Roman Gabriel threw two TD passes as LOS ANGELES won the NFL Playoff Bowl in Miami by beating Cleveland 30-6.

COLLEGE: The boys from Syracuse—Quarterback Rick Cassata and Fullback Larry Csonka—excelled as the NORTH walloped the South 50-6 in the Hula Bowl in Honolulu. Cassata scored twice and passed for another touchdown. Csonka gained 117 yards in 20 carries and scored once. The SOUTH won the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., beating the North 34-21 as Florida State's Kim Hammond completed 11 of 19 passes for two TDs.

HOCKEY—NHL: CHICAGO (19-10-9) held first place in the East with a 6-2 victory over the Red Wings as Stan Mikita picked up two goals and an assist in the Black Hawks' only game. BOSTON (20-11-6) briefly tied the Black Hawks for the lead and then fell a point behind. The Bruins, with Phil Esposito scoring twice, got past the Flyers 3-2 but had to scramble to salvage ties against the Maple Leafs and Rangers. TORONTO (17-12-8) was also tied in its only other game when Gilles Tremblay of MONTREAL (15-14-9) scored a late goal. The Canadiens won their other game 5-2 from NEW YORK (16-14-7). ending the Rangers' five-game unbeaten streak. The loss also dumped the Rangers into a last-place tie with the Canadiens, only a point behind fourth-place DETROIT (17-14-6). Before the loss to the Black Hawks the Red Wings blasted the Seals 9-3 as Gordie Howe scored a pair of goals and assisted on two more by Doug Roberts. PHILADELPHIA (17-13-6) had a loss and a tie for the week, yet padded its lead in the West to five points over LOS ANGELES (16-20-3) as the Kings lost three in a row and ran their losing string to seven games. PITTSBURGH (14-17-6) beat the Kings 4-3 and tied the Flyers 2-2 on Andy Bathgate's spectacular 50-foot shot. Goalie Cesare Maniago of MINNESOTA (13-15-8) registered his fourth shutout and third straight against the Kings. But he could not hold off last-place OAKLAND (7-25-7), which tied the North Stars 5-5. Earlier the Seals lost 4-0 to ST. LOUIS (14-20-3). The shutout was the 70th of his career for Glenn Hall of the Blues, who were 2-0.

HORSE RACING—Horse of the Year DAMASCUS ($2.80), with Willie Shoemaker up, won the $45,850 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita by 2½ lengths over Rising Market, covering the seven-furlong course in 1:21[1/5].

MOTOR SPORTS—Scotland's JIM CLARK drove his Lotus-Ford to victory in the South African Grand Prix, the first Formula I championship race of the year, finishing with an average speed of 107.42 mph despite on-track temperatures of 130° over the 204-mile course. Clark's win gave him the all-time leadership in Grand Prix triumphs with 25, one more than retired Argentine Driver Juan Fangio.

SKIING—NANCY GREENE of Canada, the defending women's World Cup champion, placed third in both the giant slalom and slalom to win the Staufen Cup in Oberstaufen, West Germany and take the lead for the 1968 World Cup. MARIELLE GOITSCHEL of France won the slalom, while FERNANDE BOCHATAY of Switzerland took the giant slalom. Best of the Americans was Robin Morning of Santa Monica, Calif., who came in 10th in the giant slalom.

EDMUND BRUGGMANN of Switzerland won the Silver Fir Alpine title in Hindelang, West Germany by taking both giant slalom races. Defending men's World Cup champion, Jean-Claude Killy of France, had a second and fourth and was the runner-up in the early cup standings. Billy Kidd of Stowe, Vt. came in eighth and third and was fourth overall.

Norway's BJOERN WIRKOLA won the international four hills (two in Austria, two in West Germany) ski jumping title. The top U.S. jumper was John Balfanz, who finished 36th.

TENNIS—BILLIE JEAN KING beat Margaret Smith Court of Australia 6-2, 6-4 to win the Western Australian women's singles championships in Perth in their first meeting since Mrs. Court returned to competition after a year's retirement.

TRACK & FIELD—BILL GAINES, a high school senior from San Jose, Calif., defeated an elite group of sprinters in the 60-yard dash (page 46), and BOB BEAMON of El Paso upset Ralph Boston in the broad jump with a 26' 9¾" leap in the Examiner Ail-American Games in San Francisco. Boston was also a loser in the 60-yard hurdles, coming in second to EARL McCULLOUCH, the pass-catching end on USC's Rose Bowl team. Both were timed in 7.2. BOB SEAGREN of USC won the pole vault with a leap of 17'½", while San Jose speedsters TOMMIE SMITH and LEE EVANS won the 300-and 440-yard events, respectively, with times of 31.9 and 48.5.

MILEPOSTS—HIRED: As head football coaches: at New Hampshire, JIM ROOT, 36, backfield coach at Yale for three years; at Bowling Green, DON NEHLEN, 32, an assistant there for three seasons; and at Washington State, JIM SWEENEY, 38, who in five years at Montana State was 31-20.

SIGNED: Aussies JOHN NEWCOMBE, 23, and TONY ROCHE, 22, the Nos. 1-and 4-ranked amateurs in world tennis, to three-year professional contracts by New Orleans Promoter Dave Dixon.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything